Thursday, November 25, 2010

Garrosh Hellscream

The New WarchiefAliases: Warchief, Overlord of the Warsong Offensive, Son of HellscreamRace: OrcPosition: WarchiefLocation: Grommash Hold, Orgrimmar (Cataclysm)Status: ALIVE
The name of Garrosh Hellscream is becoming more and more known to players these days. Information about Cataclysm has been released left and right, with the name of Garrosh coming up more than once. Additionally, Garrosh has existed within the game since at least the Burning Crusade.
Garrosh has quite a name to live up to with his father, Grom Hellscream, being such an important figure among the Horde already. Grom went through a great turmoil at his end, but ultimately redeemed himself. Garrosh has already begun to make a name for himself, but whether it be for the good or otherwise is still to be seen..

Much of Garrosh Hellscream's history is unknown. In the midst of Ner'zhul opening the Dark Portal many years ago, he and his people were sick with a disease known as the red pox. The Mag'har, brown orcs which escaped the Burning Legion's corruption, were wrought with sickness that left them weak and dying. They were belittled and looked down upon even by Kargath Bladefist, a warrior with theShadow Council at the time. He was at Garadar, the home of the sick Mag'har, seeking warriors. Garrosh urged the orc to allow him to fight alongside him and his father, but Kargath refused.

Later on, Garrosh would become an important figure amongst the Mag'har, but his demeanor was one of depression and fear. The orc carried a large weight on his shoulders and it had been bearing down on him for years. Greatmother Geyah, the matriarch of the Mag'har, had grown ill. That alone gave worry to the young Garrosh. Fearing that he would fail his people should he become leader made it that much worse.

Garrosh Hellscream knew of his father's unforgiveable actions, yet had not been made aware that Grom was the savior of the Horde and that he had redeemed himself. This led the son to believe he was fated to follow in his father's footsteps and doom himself and his race.

It isn't until later that he realizes, with the help of the great warchief, Thrall, what Grom had sacrificed in order to free the orcs from the Burning Legion. His redemption meant his death, which he gladly gave up for his people.
Now filled with honor and pride, Garrosh would be ready to lead his people if it came to that. However, Thrall had other plans for the young Mag'har. The warchief brought the son of Grom to Azeroth to be his personal advisor.
Garrosh proved to be quite the advocate for destroying the Alliance at every turn. Thrall and his other advisors, however, were always against such hasty actions. The son would always have a hatred for the other faction and see them as enemies. Thrall believed he could change the orc's mind by bringing him to a meeting with the Alliance king, Varian Wrynn. While the discussions went as well as could be expected with Garrosh in the room, the events immediately following it made the peace between the two factions extremely tense.

After the meeting was concluded, the Twilight's Hammer attacked Theramore, the site of the discussions. Varian Wrynn spotted the half-orc Garona, who had assassinated his father, Llane Wrynn, years ago. The king took this as an attempt on his life while Garrosh was sure that the Alliance themselves had planned this. Both Varian and the orc suspected each other of betrayal, but the group eventually separated peacefully. The son of Grom was frustrated at the outcome of the meeting especially since he felt their honor was wounded by Wrynn.

Garrosh Hellscream continued to be the advisor to the warchief with the hatred of the Alliance burning deep within himself. His rage exploded when a disagreement occured between himself and Thrall. The warchief felt that they needed to speak with Jaina and other members of the Alliance to discuss what they should do about the Scourge forces. Furious, the hotheaded orc challenged Thrall to a duel. Honor forbade the warchief to ignore his request, so the two fought in the Ring of Valor. Garrosh proved to be the more powerful in battle, but before their duel could be finished, Orgrimmar fell under siege. Endless minions of the Scourge, including frostwyrms and abominations, invaded the Horde city.

The warchief and the son of Grom lead the Horde army, including Saurfang and Sylvanas, to victory against the Scourge attack. Garrosh urges Thrall to allow him to lead their forces into Northrend to deal with the Lich King and his undead army. The head orc agrees and Garrosh Hellscream makes his way to the arctic north.
In Northrend, Garrosh is the leader of the Warsong Offensive, stationed in the Borean Tundra and other areas of Northrend. His hotheadedness remains as does his complete abhorrence of the Alliance which is evident in his actions. His primary advisor, High Overlord Varok Saurfang, warns against the young leader's brutal ways in fear that the mistakes of the past will rise up once again. The great warrior promises to end his reign should he continue to advance against the Alliance. Garrosh, obviously intimidated by the older orc, does not challenge his threat.

Garrosh continues to be at odds with the Alliance and their leaders and only slightly sates his lust for their blood with the Argent Tournament. His later activities include being present within the Icecrown Citadel to combat both the Lich King and the opposing faction.

The Warchief

In Cataclysm, Garrosh Hellscream has been appointed to Warchief by Thrall himself. Why the diplomatic shaman would choose such a bloodthirsty and vengeful warmonger is still unknown and it raises questions from all members of Azeroth. Citizens of the Horde can expect many battles with the Alliance with Garrosh as warchief. Even in his infant days as the leader of the Horde, the son of Grom has several situations which he must deal with. The destruction of the world is but one of these issues.
The rise of Garrosh is openly opposed by several of the Horde allies including both the Forsaken and the trolls. Vol'jin shows his hatred in a heated exchange between the warchief and the troll leader. Sylvanas Windrunner conveys her dislike of the orc not only because he put a strict watch on the woman and her people.

The future of the Horde is in Garrosh's hands. Some believe with his bloodthirsty actions he may follow in the path of his father and doom himself and the Horde. Others rally at his feet and believe he is what they have needed for a long time. Only time will tell which one may be right..

Great article submitted by Alex. This was a special post for my dedicated readers on this Thanksgiving holiday. I truly appreciate each and every one of you and highly value your input, questions, and comments. Thanks for helping to make this blog a success. May be all grow together in the upcoming Cataclysm.

2 comments:

Great post, I really enjoyed reading it and learning about Garrosh. I love reading your Blog on a daily basis. I am looking forward to a lot more great content with Cata on the horizon. Happy Thanksgiving.

Good stuff! I'm having a blast going slowly through the new world on a new toon, reading all the story lines and such. Makes it much easier to immerse yourself in the game! The only leader I ever knew of was Thrall, and I've heard of Saurfang but never paid attention. He was just a guy who gave out quests in Warsong Hold (and fought some undead guy out by an old guard tower) and that was it.